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Health & medical
Health and medical
What the numbers mean, every injury and disease with its cure, blood types, temperature and the kit to carry.
The numbers
Health, blood, shock, energy, hydration, temperature
DayZ keeps a set of hidden values and shows you icons for them at the bottom of the screen. Learn what each one does and most deaths stop being mysterious.
| Stat | Range | What it does | Icon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 0 to 100 | Your life. At 0 you die. Regenerates from blood when energy and hydration are decent. | No direct icon; vision greys and pulses as it drops |
| Blood | 0 to 5,000 | Lost by bleeding and wounds. Low blood greys the screen, then you pass out, then you die. Regenerates slowly when fed and watered; saline and transfusions restore it fast. | Blood drop icon when low |
| Shock | 0 to 100 | Spikes from hits, falls and heavy blood loss. Over the limit you fall unconscious until it drains. | Screen fades to black |
| Energy | 0 to 20,000 (full stomach icons at ~3,000+) | Calories. Low energy stops regeneration, then drains health. | Fork and knife icon, white to red |
| Hydration | 0 to 5,000 | Water. Drops faster than energy. Low hydration stops regeneration, then drains health. | Water drop icon |
| Temperature | Hypothermia to hyperthermia | Cold drains hydration and energy and leads to frostbite, influenza and death; heat (Nasdara) drains water fast. | Thermometer icon, blue to red |
| Stomach | Volume | How much is inside you. Over-eating makes you vomit, losing what you ate. | Stomach icon when full |
| Stamina | Bar | Sprint, jump, climb and melee. Weight lowers the maximum. | Bar at the bottom |
| Immunity | Hidden | Resistance to disease, raised by vitamins, good stats and warmth. | None |
The regeneration rule: if the energy and hydration icons are both white or green, blood regenerates, and from blood, health. If either is low, nothing heals. Eat and drink first, then treat.
Injuries
Bleeding, fractures, shock and unconsciousness
| Injury | Cause | What you see | Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bleeding | Gunshot, melee, infected hits, barbed wire, broken glass barefoot, falls | Blood on screen and a drop icon; multiple wounds bleed faster | Bandage, rags (disinfect them first), sewing kit, or duct tape in an emergency. One application per wound. |
| Wound infection | Bandaging with dirty rags, or ignoring a wound | Icon with a cross; fever, pain, slow drain | Tetracycline pills over time, or disinfectant on the wound. Prevent it: disinfect rags before use. |
| Broken leg | Falls, bear traps, heavy hits, being shot in the leg | Cannot run or jump; crawling and limping | Splint (two sticks plus rag) heals it over time. Morphine lets you walk now, temporarily. Painkillers for the pain state. |
| Shock / unconscious | Heavy damage, blood loss, rubber slugs, falling | Black screen, cannot move | Wait it out; an epinephrine injector wakes you or a friend instantly. Protect the body. |
| Blood loss | Bleeding left untreated | Grey, pulsing vision | Stop the bleed, then eat and drink. Saline IV (with an IV start kit) or a blood transfusion restores volume. |
| Pain | Fractures, heavy hits | Screen effects, shaky aim | Painkillers (codeine), morphine |
| Fall damage | Jumping off anything above a couple of metres | Instant death at height; fractures lower down | Do not |
| Burns | Standing in fire | Health loss | Step out, bandage if bleeding |
Diseases
Every illness, how you get it and how you cure it
Sickness in DayZ is a status effect with stages. Most start mild and get worse while your immunity is low. The symptoms tell you which one you have.
| Disease | How you catch it | Symptoms | Cure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cholera | Drinking unpurified water from ponds, rivers and lakes; drinking from a canteen that held dirty water | Vomiting, fast dehydration | Tetracycline pills; drink clean water constantly; chlorine tablets prevent it |
| Salmonella | Eating raw meat, raw fat, raw fish, or using a bloody knife; eating with bloody hands | Vomiting, loss of food and water | Tetracycline pills; cook your meat; wash hands (gloves help) |
| Food poisoning | Rotten food, burnt food in quantity, some mushrooms | Vomiting, stomach pain | Charcoal tablets; stop eating bad food |
| Influenza (cold) | Being cold and wet for too long, low immunity, sometimes from sick players nearby | Sneezing, coughing, shaking, fever | Tetracycline pills, warmth, vitamins. Untreated it becomes pneumonia. |
| Pneumonia | Influenza ignored | Heavy coughing, health drain, cannot sprint far | Tetracycline over a long period, stay warm and fed |
| Frostbite (Sakhal) | Exposed skin in extreme cold | Pain, damage to hands and feet | Warm up: fire, shelter, hot springs, warm clothing |
| Heavy metal poisoning (Sakhal) | Eating snow or drinking unpurified melt water contaminated by volcanic ash | Vomiting, health drain | Purify water by boiling or tablets; charcoal tablets help |
| Chemical poisoning | Toxic gas zones without an NBC suit and filtered mask; chemical grenades | Coughing, vision blur, rapid health loss | PO-X antidote; leave the zone; it is often fatal |
| Wound infection | Dirty bandaging | Fever, grey vision, slow health drain | Tetracycline pills, disinfectant |
| Kuru (brain disease) | Eating human meat | Laughing and shaking fits forever | None. Do not eat people. |
| Hallucinations | Liberty cap mushrooms | Visual effects | Wait |
| Drunk | Vodka, beer | Blurred vision, wobbly aim | Wait |
| Heat stroke (Nasdara) | Direct sun, heavy clothing, no water | Fast hydration loss, dizziness | Shade, water, lighter clothing, night travel |
Vitamins do not cure anything. They raise immunity so your body beats the light stage of a disease on its own. Take them when you get wet, cold or hungry, before symptoms start.
Blood types and transfusions
Transfusing without killing someone
A saline bag restores blood to anyone. A blood bag only works with a compatible type, and the wrong type kills the patient. Use a blood test kit on yourself and the donor first.
| Patient type | Can receive from |
|---|---|
| O− | O− |
| O+ | O−, O+ |
| A− | O−, A− |
| A+ | O−, O+, A−, A+ |
| B− | O−, B− |
| B+ | O−, O+, B−, B+ |
| AB− | O−, A−, B−, AB− |
| AB+ | Anyone |
- Test. Blood test kit on the patient and on the donor. Each kit is single use.
- Collect. Blood bag kit plus IV start kit on the donor: fills a blood bag with their type. The donor loses blood, so feed them.
- Transfuse. Blood bag plus IV start kit on the patient. Compatible type restores blood; incompatible type is fatal.
- Or skip it. Saline bag plus IV start kit works on anyone and is far more common in medical spawns.
Temperature
Staying warm, staying cool
Cold
Rain, snow, night, wind, swimming and wet clothes all drop your temperature. The icon turns blue, you shiver, aim shakes, energy and water drain, then influenza and hypothermia. Fix: dry clothes by a fire, wear insulated layers (down jackets, ushankas, gloves, boots), stay out of water, shelter indoors.
Heat
Running in heavy clothing in the sun, and the Nasdara desert in Badlands. The icon turns red, hydration drains fast. Fix: shade, water, shed layers, travel at night; goggles, dust masks and shemaghs help in sandstorms.
Wet
Each clothing item has a wetness level. Wet clothes insulate badly and weigh more. Wring them out in the inventory or dry by a fire. Raincoats and drybags keep contents dry.
Sakhal rules
Frostline makes cold a constant. Keep a fire kit on you, warm clothing on every slot, thaw food before eating, never eat snow, and use hot springs and shelters to recover.
The medical kit
What to carry and when to use it
| Item | Carry | When |
|---|---|---|
| Bandages or disinfected rags | 4+ | Any bleed |
| Disinfectant spray / alcohol tincture / iodine | 1 | Before bandaging with rags; on infected wounds |
| Tetracycline | 1 pack | First sign of cholera, salmonella, influenza or wound infection |
| Charcoal tablets | 1 pack | Food or chemical poisoning |
| Multivitamins | 1 pack | After getting wet, cold or hungry |
| Painkillers | 1 pack | Pain state after fractures |
| Morphine | 1 | A broken leg when you must move now |
| Epinephrine | 1 | A friend unconscious under fire |
| Splint (or 2 sticks and a rag) | 1 | A broken leg when you can wait |
| Saline bag + IV start kit | 1 each | Heavy blood loss |
| Chlorine tablets | 1 pack | Water from anywhere but a well |
| Thermometer | 1 | To know how cold you are before symptoms |
Quick answers
Questions people ask
How do you stop bleeding in DayZ?
Apply a bandage, a disinfected rag, a sewing kit or duct tape to the wound from your inventory. Each bleed needs its own application.
How do you cure cholera in DayZ?
Take tetracycline pills over several hours and keep drinking clean water from wells or purified sources. Chlorine tablets or boiling prevent it in the first place.
How do you cure a cold or influenza in DayZ?
Get warm and dry, eat and drink, take multivitamins and tetracycline. Left alone it turns into pneumonia, which takes much longer to shake.
Why is my screen grey in DayZ?
Low blood. Stop any bleeding, then eat and drink until both icons are white so your blood regenerates. A saline IV speeds it up.
How do you fix a broken leg in DayZ?
Craft a splint from two sticks and a rag or bandage and apply it; it heals over time. Morphine lets you walk immediately but wears off.
What blood type can give to anyone?
O negative. AB positive can receive from anyone. Saline works for everyone regardless of type.
Part of the DayZ2.net DayZ Wiki. Facts reflect DayZ as of update 1.30 (October 2026) and can change with patches. Screenshots are Bohemia Interactive's official store media, hosted here with credit. Independent fan site, not affiliated with Bohemia Interactive.